To:N. A. SEMASHKO

Published:Published in full in 1933 inLenin Miscellany XXIII.

      First published, but not in full, inIzvestiaNo. 18, January 22, 1927.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,[1976],

      Moscow,Volume 35,

      pages528-529.Translated:Andrew RothsteinTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive.You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

October 24, 1921

ComradeSemashko,

Aftersigning today the decision of the Narrow Council
of People’s Commissars on the 2,000 millions (I think that
is the
Figure?[1]I don’t remember it exactly) for cleaning
up Moscow, and after reading the “Regulations” of the
People’s Commissariat of Health for the week of housing
sanitation (IzvestiaofJuly 12), I have come to the
conclusion that my suspicions (about the complete inadequacy
of the organisation of the whole business) are increasing.

Thethousand millions will be taken, stolen and pilfered
but the job won’t be done.

Wemust secure model (or at least, as a beginning,tolerable) cleanliness in Moscow, for one cannot even imagine
a greater scandal than “Soviet” dirt in the “first” Soviet
houses. What then is to be expected in houses which arenot first?

Pleasesend me the most brief but precise, business-like,
factual report on what has been achieved by the week of
sanitation, and where? Is there any gubernia where
something has been done without muddle?

Further.What is being done (and what has been done?)
in Moscow? Who answers for this work? Is it only “officials”
with a pompous Soviet title, who don’t understand a thing,
who don’t know the business and only sign papers? Or are
therebusiness-likepeople in charge? Who in particular?

Themost important thing is to secure personal
responsibility.

V.I.Lenin watches the trials of the first Soviet electric plough
at the training and experimental farm of the Moscow Zootechnics
Institute.October 22, 1921

Whathas been done to secure personal responsibility?

Checkingis done by whom?

Byinspectors? How many are there? Who are they?

Byyouth detachments (Young Communist League)? Do
such exist? How many? Where and how have they given
examples of their work?

Whatother methods forrealchecking are there?

Ismoney being spent on buying valuable articles (
carbolic? cleaning equipment? how much has been bought?)
or is it being spent on maintaining new “official” loafers?

V.Ulyanov(Lenin)Chairman, Council of People’s Commissars

[1]Thisrefers to the decision of the Narrow Council of People’s
Commissars on the allocation of 2,000 million rubles for repairing
houses in Moscow, passed on October 21, 1921.